my path has led me here
by Ice of the Kitsune's Fire
Summary: With the state of affairs as they are, Akane will probably never get married. That's okay. Slight/Implied Ginaka.


A/N: I jumped on the multishipper train and there is no going back.

Also: obvious references to Your Lie in April are obvious.

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They sit in their usual café – _they_ being the old Akane, Yuki, and Kaori trio – with one of the members absent. They choose a two-person table near the front rather than the triplet accommodations from the past. Akane is relieved when Kaori waddles into the booth without any pauses or long glances at where a third member might sit. Time has treated her well.

"I can't believe it's been eight months already," Kaori says, laughing. "Two years ago I would've thought I'd never get this fat, but look at me now!"

"Have you been sneaking in extra ice cream into your diet?" Akane teases back, face alight with humor.

"I wish! This baby just keeps getting bigger and bigger, and I can't even enjoy sushi anymore – though," she adds fondly, "I'm glad he's healthy. Sibyl's baby scanners do wonders for my anxiety. He wasn't kicking for the longest time and I wondered…"

Her voice trails off as she unconsciously cups her large stomach before continuing. "But its all good, the scanner put my worries to rest." She pauses for a moment. "I'm glad Sybil is here to help. I can't imagine trying to figure this all out on my own."

"The system is useful," Akane's grin flickers before curling into a subdued line. "Have you guys decided what to name him?"

"Oh, honestly, we have no idea. Kousei is terrible with names, and for once I feel like there are too many options! The name directory is enormous, you wouldn't believe how many hours I've spent scrolling through it."

Akane smiles gently.

"I'm sure you and Kousei will be able to find the right name."

A twinge passes through Kaori. She looks at Akane and can't help but think that she looks older somehow. Over the years, both of them have matured from the flighty, giggling girls of high school into adults – but Akane seems far too serious for her age. She's only laughed once during the entire conversation.

Kaori knows that MWPSB work takes a lot out of Akane, but sometimes she thinks that her friend should get out more. Last time they met up, Akane admitted that she hadn't met anyone new lately, which was worrying. Akane had never been a partier, but she used to hang out with other friends a lot. Now, she seemed almost…isolated. Lonely. Kaori thinks about the baby-themed holos in her apartment and her husband's steady hands, and remembers how far-off all of this used to seem to her back then.

"Say…Akane…don't you think you should take a look at Sybil's romantic compatibility list?" At Akane's pointed look, she hurries on: "I know what you do is important, but come on…there's a life outside of work. I just want you to be happy."

"I am happy," Akane counters. "I'm happy for you."

"But that's not the same as being happy for yourself." Kaori grabs her friend's hand. "Akane, you don't smile as much anymore," she pleads, and Akane's face drops, an ironic smile morphing her face. "Kousei – Kousei made me really happy," Kaori continues, "I just want that for you. You deserve to be happy."

Akane doesn't respond. Kaori's lips twist as she tries to find a way to salvage the situation.

"Thanks, Kaori," Akane finally says, and Kaori frowns.

"Akane –"

"I know. Its just…sometimes I think that marriage isn't for me. Isn't for me anymore, at least." There's a sort of finality in her tone that Kaori can't place. She stares at Akane, suddenly feeling out-of-place. Her mind is assaulted with images of an old woman in an empty house void of photo frames.

"…Why?"

Akane shrugs loosely. "Many things have happened," she says, and is quiet after that. After a moment, she changes the subject, and the conversation turns to lighter topics.

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Kaori leaves the café feeling calm, if not a little tired. She goes home and sits in the new rocking chair, and drinks some tea while reading a novel. Kousei comes home within a few hours and surprises her with take-out, and they spend the evening feeling the child within her kick rambunctiously.

It's a good night.

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Akane gets a call at 3am for an Elevated Stress Level in Sector 32 and rushes out to catch the perpetrator. By the division gets there, the latent criminal has managed to take an entire nightclub hostage and is threatening to blow the entire building up unless they meet his demands. It isn't until dawn breaks over the city that division 1 is able to safely diffuse the situation. Akane is thankful that her clothing is not splattered in blood. Small mercies. Afterwards, she stumbles into her office chair and tries not to count down the hours until her shift ends. This is the third incident in a string of similar occurrences, and she can barely begin see the motivations behind the pattern. Her tasks seem endless. There are reports to write up, research to do, people to interrogate…

She counts to ten slowly, breathing in and out. A muted thud interrupts her thought process, and she turns to see a steaming mug of coffee by her desk. Her face tilts upwards to see Ginoza peering down at her.

"You should take a break, Inspector," he says, but not unkindly.

"You of all people shouldn't be telling me that," she says half jokingly, before taking a deep gulp of the coffee. Her face relaxes, eyes shutting for a brief moment, before sliding open again. "And I told you – call me Akane."

Ginoza snorts lightly and folds himself onto a chair nearby, hands wrapped around his own drink. Akane smiles.

This is enough.

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A/N: I always felt that, especially post season 2, that Akane would be the type of person to be "married" to her work, as it consumes all of her time and energy. And with that comes some sacrifices - but that doesn't mean she can't be satisfied or relatively happy with how things have turned out.

Critique & Comments welcomed.


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